Bail inserting machine



Dec. 30; 1952 .1. HENCHERT BAIL INSERTING MACHINE l0 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 2, 1950 F @Nmm 55 s w, N@ u I u v INVENTOR. John fierzc/zerf 7mm, w

Dec. 30, 1952 J. HENCH'ERT 23,

BAIL INSERTING MACHINE Dec. 30, 1952 Filed Oct- 2. 1950 J. HENCHERT BAIL INSERTING MACHINE 1b sheets-sheet 4 INVENTOR. John Hencherf Dec. 30, 1952 Filed Oct. 2.. 1950 J. HENCHERT 2,623,274

BAIL mssmmc MACHINE 1O Sheets-Sheet 5 "-1 Min.

Dgc. 30, 1952 J.'HENCHERT 2,523,274

' BAIL- INSERTING MACHINE Filed 061. 2, 1950 10 Sheets-Sheet 6 Jun -w-mu INVENTOR.

John Hawker-Z Dec. 30, 1952 .1. HENCHERT BAIL INSERTING MACHINE 1O sheets-sheet 7 Filed Oct. 2. 1950 INVENTOR. 191m. #enchefi 1952 J. HENCHERT 2,623,274

BAIL INSERTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 2 1950 1'0 Sheets-Sheet a DecQBO, 1952 .1. HENCHERT 2,623,274

BAIL INSERTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 2, 1950 10 Sheets-Sheet e IN VEN TOR.

10 Sheets-Sheet 1O i J. HENQHERT BAIL INSERTING mcams Fili d Oct 2, 1950 INVENTOE John Henoherr BY Myra m1 R lmm WQ Dec. 30, 1952 Patented Dec. 30, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BAIL INSERTING MACHINE John Henchert, River Forest, Ill., assignor tolContinental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application October 2, 1950, Serial No. 188 012 wile-e22 17 Claims. 1

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in a machine for inserting bails in can ears and more particularly a bail having the end portions lying Within the ears bent in opposite directions relative to the plane of the bail for preventing the bail ends from becoming detached from the ears.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine adapted to position a bail relative to the can cars so that the bent end of one end of the bail is in alignment with the opening in an car while the other end is positioned remotely from its ear and then, after the positioned bail end has been moved into its ear, shifting said bail bodily and twisting the bail portion to move the other end into alignment with its ear and releasing the bail so that the end will snap into the car.

A further object of the invention is to provide feeding cans one after another to a bail attaching station where the can is supported by its ears in an upright position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above type with means whereby the cans are received at random and are rotated so as to bring the cars into horizontal alignment at the bail attaching station.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above type with a bail supporting magazine and devices associated therewith so that when the can is raised to bail attaching position a bail is released and moved into its initial position relative to the can ears.

A still further object of the invention is to provide gripping jaws for receiving the remotely placed bail end for moving the bent end thereof into alignment with the car by twisting of the bail andthen releasing the bail end to permit the bent end to snap into the ear.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above type wherein several independent units operated by fluid pressure are synchronized by control cams for feeding the cans, releasing the bails and inserting one end in the ear and thereafter the other end in its ear after which the can is released;

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings, which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the machine embodying the improvements; 4

Figure 2 is an enlarged top plan View of the mechanism for manipulating the bail, said view being taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 7;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a portion of the mechanism of Figure 2 showing the bail gripping means shifted to a position for attaching the bail to the can ear;.

Figure 4 is a view partly in section and partly in plan on the line 4-'4of Figure 7;

Figure 5 is a view partly in section andpartly in elevation on the line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure .6 is a view in side elevation showing the can elevator slide in raised position;

Figure 7 is a vertical longitudinal section taken centrally through the machine;

Figure 8 is a side elevation of the can feeding portion taken from the can receiving side of the machine;

Figure 9 is a view in side elevation ofthe can elevating devices with the can indicated in dotted lines as supported thereby in raised position;

Figure 10 is a View partly in section and partly in elevation of the bail feeding mechanism as viewed from the discharge end of the machine;

Figure 11 is a View on the line ll-ll of Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a vertical sectional detail of the bail gripping and swinging element at the position for inserting the left hand end of the bail in its ear as viewed from the discharge end of the machine;

Figure 13 is a vertical sectional detail of the bail inserting elements at the position for inserting the right hand: end of the bail;

Figure 14 is a horizontal section on the line l4l4 of Figure 12.

Figure 15 is a side elevation of the bracket for positioning the can ear, said View being taken along the line l5l5 of Figure 12 with the can body omitted and the ear indicated by broken lines;

Figure 16 is a side elevation of part of the mechanism for inserting the right hand end of the bail in the ear;

Figure 1'? is a side elevation of the sliding plate which positions the bail end and then releases it for insertion in the ear;

Figure 18 is a view of the bail preformed and ready for attachment to the can ears;

Figure 19 is a view showing diagrammatically the position of the bail when the right hand end is inserted in the ear and indicating by the arrows the shifting of the bail to a position for entering the bent end thereof into the left hand ear;

Figure 20 is a view showing a can and ears in broken lines and a bail'attached to the ears;

Figure 21 is a fragmentary plan view showing the jaws and the left hand end of the bail posi tioned between the jaws ready for gripping the same;

Figure 22 is a vertical sectional view on the line 22-22 of Figure 21;

Figure 23 is a plan view showing the jaws of Figure 21 gripping the bail end and shifted to a position where the bent end of the bail is brought into alignment with the opening into the ear of the can;

Figure 24 is a view similar to Figure 23, but

showing the jaws opened and releasing the ball so that the bent end snaps into locked position;

Figure 25 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2525 of Figure 16;

Figure 26 is a diagrammatic illustration of the various operating units and the devices for supplying fluid pressure for operating the individual units;

Figure 27 is a diagrammatic View showing the solenoids for controlling valves associated with the fluid operated units and the control cams for synchronizing the operation of the various units;

Figure 28 is a view showing one of the combined solenoid and three-way valve units; and

Figure 29 is a longitudinal section of one of the air cylinder units.

The invention has to do with a machinefor inserting bails in the ears of cans. The bail is of the type wherein the end portions are preformed prior to attachment to the can ears so as to provide end portions extending at an angle and in opposite directions relative to the plane 'of the bail. The can ears are of the usual type.

The machine includes a series of units synchronized by control cams for feeding cans one after another to a bail attaching station and delivering a bail to said station. The cans at said station are supported solely by the ears thereof. Operating units are provided for aligning and inserting one of the bent ends of a bail in an ear while the other end of the bail is remotely disposed relative to the other ear. Operating units are also provided for gripping the remotely positioned end of the bail for shifting and twisting the bail end until the bent end thereof is brought into alignment with the other ear and then entering the bent end and releasing the ball so that the bent end snaps into locking position within the ear. This shifting of the bail positions the first named bent end on the bail so that the bail is locked to the first named ear.

The can with the bail attached thereto is released and is fed by gravity from the machine. Another cycle is then initiated and another can and bail are presented to the bail attaching station for having the bail attached to the can.

As shown in the present illustrated embodiment the machine includes a more or less skeleton framework for supporting the several units of the machine and the devices for operating the same. Mounted in the framework is the can chute I having a bottom member H and side members l2, l2 for guiding the can. The can bodies with the ears attached are delivered into this chute it from a gravity runway including spaced angle bars l3, [3.

The can bodies which are indicated at C roll down along the gravity runway and are delivered into the chute It at the receiving end thereof. This receiving end is closed by an end plate i l and the side plate I2 of the chute is cut away or shortened as indicated in Figure 1 so as to permit the can bodies to roll from the gravity runway cnto the bottom plate of the can chute is. The can bodies are fed along the chute by a feed dog I 5. Mounted on a supporting plate is attached to the can chute and extending therefrom is a cylinder ll containing a piston and a piston rod which reciprocates in the cylinder and this feed dog 55 is mounted on the piston rod so that it may yield vertically. In raised position it moves along the slot is in the bottom member H of the can chute and engages the cans and moves endwise from station to station alon said chute. When the piston rod is retracted the dog will yield and pass beneath the can bodies. The cylinder is supplied with a fluid, preferably air under pressure, through a valve is which may be adjusted to regulate the flow of the fluid and the speed of the movements of the feed dog.

The can bodies have their ears attached thereto as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 7 of the drawings. The end plate i i of the chute is set at a slightly obtuse angle to the longitudinal axis of the can feed chute so that the can when fully delivered to the can feed chute will be moved endwise so as to avoid the car on the can from engaging the ear of the following can in the gravity runway. Fixed to the framework at the upper side of the path of travel of the can bodies is a bar 25. This bar extends all the Way to thereceiving end of the can feed chute. If the ear of the can passing into the chute happens to be on the upper side thereof it will contact with this bar 2B and as it passes along the bar 22 it will engage one of the arms 2!, 2| which are carried by the bar 22. These arms are inclined away from the bar 28 and the ear contacting therewith will cause the can to rotate so as to position the ear at the other side of the can for contacting with one of the other of the guide rails 22, 22 and this will further rotate the can due to the shaping of these guide rails so as to position the ears of the can body in horizontal alignment.

The stroke of the feed dog is slightly greater than the length of the can body and when the can body is moved from the receiving position as shown in Figure 7 to the next idle position the can bodies will be spaced from each other sli htly. The moving of the can body to this second position will advance the can body in front thereof to the third position as shown in this Figure 7. In order to prevent an overfeed of the can bodies a stop 23 is provided. This stop is mounted for vertical movement on a bracket 24 carried by the bottom plate H of the can feed chute. The piston rod of the cylinder ii is provided with an extension 25 to which is attached a plate 26 hav ing a cam shoulder 21. This plate passes through a slot in the bracket 24 and when the feed'dog moves forward to feed a can body one step along the feed chute the stop is raised so that the advanced end of the can body indicated at C contacts the stop and this limits the movement of the cans as the piston rod is fluid pressure actuated. The stop is carried at the end of a pivoted arm and when released will drop into inoperative position. Mounted on the frame is a hinge plate 28 which contacts the can 0 and prevents the can in its advance to this station position from jumping the stop 23.

The guide rails 22, 22 are inclined upwardly until a peak point 29 is reached. At this time the rails are engaging both ears of the can and the rails are so dimensioned that the can at the advanced end is lifted slightly as shown in Figure '7. From this peak point 29 the surface of the guide-M11822, 22: engaging theearsinclinesdowm wardlyas; indicated-at 3i}. Thereds ashort rail 3.10 above tbeportion 33- of each guide rail 22 and thisxaidsin directing the ears of the can body downward along; the. l inclinedpedges of the w guide rails.

At the end of the guide rai1s:22, Hare; vertically movableslid-es 3i, ti -andeach slide is provided with'an ear receivingpocket 32. The earsioi the can bodies, as. they; slide downthe inclined portions. 39 drop into these pocket-s 32, 32.

Mounted in suitable bearings on the frame is a shaft 33.. Fixed to the shait 33 islan arm 34 and a links?) is pivoted to this arm 34 and also pivoted. to. the slide 3!. There is; a similar arm 35 connected to the other end .of'theshaft 33 and this arm is connected to a, linl 3T which in turn is connected tothe slidefii having-a pocket 32 which engages. the. other-rear of the can body. When theseslides 3i and 31 are raised they lift the ears of the can bodyand thecan body will be drawn along the bottom of the chute and fi ally lifted to a position where it will swingtoan upright or vertical position as shown in dotted lines at These slides 3i and 3 I are supported and slide on vertically arranged standards 38, 33. There is a bracket 35 at one side of the machine having a pocket ll], and abra-cket 13 at the other side ofthe-machine having a similar pocketed. The cars are lifted into engagement with these pockets and thus a can is supported by the ears and the earspositioned to receive a bail. The slides each have lugs 32* to prevent the ears from overshooting the pockets and also shoulders 32 which engage similarshoulders on the brackets I carrying the upper pockets. The upper and lower pockets enclose the ears and position the open ings in the ears for the reception of the bail ends.

The shaft 33 is oscillated by a cylinder 41 pivotally attached to a member'tlil which in turn is bolted to the arm 35. This cylinder contains piston and a piston rod t2, and the piston rod M is pivotally attached to a bracket 43. When fluid under pressure is delivered to this cylinder from the hose M the cylinderwill bebodily moved outward on the piston and this will shift the link fififrom the position shown in full lines of Figure 8 to the position shown in broken. lines in said figure-and to the full line position shown in Figure. 9. There is afixed bracket arm '15 at each side of the machine'and each bracket arm carries an adjust-able stop screw 46 that contacts respectively with the arms 34 and as;

When fluid under pre sure-is admitted to the cylinder 4! the arms; 34, and 35 will swingupe wardly and lift the canvinto bail attaching posi tion. After the bail hasbeen attached then the fluid pressure is cut off andthese arms are returned to their initial positionshown. in Figured. There is a valve 41 for controlling the fiow of fluid under pressure to. the cylinder, llwhich operates the feed dog, This valve is shifted to open position by an arm 48 carrying an adjust able screw 49 which contacts with a yoke i! for opening the valve. Vthen the can is lowered for discharge from the machine this arm 3%, when it reaches its initial position, will cause the valve 41 to be opened and fiuidwill flow to cylinder i1 and the feed dog [5 will be actuated for. feed ing another can to the bail attaching station.

The bail which is to be attached: to the can is shown in Figure 18-. It is preformed so as to have a main arched portion 5| and each end of the bail is bent outwardly as indicated. at: 52, thence downwardly at 53* and thence: inwardly and he inner end portion 5 heated, $9. 18 at-an ansletothe plane f he ail-.4, Th p nd portions are similarly shaped except that the bent ends 54 extend in oppositedirections. The purpose of these bent. ends is to lock the bail to the container as shown inFigure 20. These bails are stacked in a magazine which is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in Figure 10. The magazine includes an arched portion 55, which is mounted on the frame member 56. See Figure 1. There is a guiding flange 51 at each side of the arched portion which inclines from rear toward the front of the magazine. This guiding flange 51 terminates in a vertical flange; 58 and associated with this vertical flange 58 is a front fl nge 59, h h s pa d her i mso h t. a bail nd mayrnass, lown thr gh. hechennelhe tween these flanges 53 and fifl. There is a cen: tral supporting frame Bil and the bails-are placed in the magazine so that-the ends thereof which are initially so spaced thatthe contractionoi the bail ends would causethe same to grip the arched portion of the magazine and retain the-bails until they are forcibly delivered from the magazme.

Mounted on the frame of the machine are uprights 6|, 6| carrying a cross bar 62. This cross bar has depending guide members 63, I63 which engage the arched portion of the bail and guide the same as it is delivered from the, magazine. Also mounted on the cross bar 62 is a standard 64 having a longitudinal slot 65 therein. A slide 66 is connected to this standard so that itmay move longitudinally thereof. The slide is connected to a lever El mounted on a standard 65. One end of a rod 65 is connected to the lever Li? and the other end of this rod is connected to an arm in which arm is fixed to the shaft 33. After a bail has been attached to a can then the shaft 33 is oscillated in a clockwise direction and the arms 36 and 3t move downward to the full line position shown in Figure 8 and the can with the bail attached is discharged from the machine. This opens the valve 4'! so that another can is fed forward into the pockets of the slides. ready to be lifted to bail attaching position. At thesame time the arm To moves upwardly in a clockwise direction, then this will raise the rod 69 and swing the lever 67 so as to cause the slide 68 to engage the advanced bail in the magazine and strip it from the magazine, moving it down into initial position for the bail attaching operation. The front end, of the magazine holding the bails lies in a plane which cuts a vertical plane passing through the ears of the can at an acute angle (see F g. 2). This acute angle is substantially the, same as the acute angle-of the bent end of the bail relative to the plane of the bail. In describing the attachments of the bails to the ears the ears of the can will be referred to as the right and left-hand ear respectively. This is the position of the ears as viewed from the. discharge end of the machine. In Figure 19, the can is indicated by broken lines at C, the right hand ear at c and the left hand ear at c. The end of the bail which is to be attached to the right hand ear 0 will pass between the flanges 58 and onto a supporting ledge ll carried by a slide 72. (See Figs. 16 and 17.)

This slide plate 12 is mounted between a sup porting bracket it and an overlying guide member "E5. The front end- M. of this guide member and the ledge H of the slide are so positioned that. the bent. end of the. bail will be held centered relative to the ear opening which is. indie cated in broken lines at'c (Figure 16). The overlying guide member 15 has an extension it which aids in holding the bail in a vertical position and prevents it from swinging forwardly before the ends of the bail are inserted in the cars. This slide I2 is provided with a projecting block it. The forward face of this block is inclined as indicated at a? to provide a camming face. The block also carries a rod l8 which is guided in a lug 19 carried by the bracket l3. A spring 89 moves this rod and the slide forward and positions the slide initially so that it lies between the extreme end of the bent end portion and the ear of the can.

Mounted on the frame of the machine is an air cylinder 8| provided with a piston rod 82 which extends into the cylinder and carries a piston head so that when fluid is admitted to the cylinder BI it will force the piston rod outwardly toward the can. Mounted on the outer end of this piston rod 82 is a pusher head 83. When the bail end is ready for insertion into the ear the fluid is supplied to the cylinder 8! and this moves the pusher head 33 toward the car. As the pusher head advances it engages the cam face i? of the block 76 and withdraws the slide I2 from in front of the end of the bail. Further forward movement of the pusher 83 will force the bail end portion into the ear and the movement of the bail into the ear is limited by the bail end contacting the can within the ear. The pusher head carries a pin 8d and as the pusher head terminates its advance movement the pin 84 engages the can below the ear to force the can to the extreme left position. The bail and is now positioned in this right hand ear in the manner shown in Figure 19. The bail is then swung and slightly twisted so as to bring the bent end portion 2- into alignment with the opening in the left hand ear 0'. During this shifting of the bail the bent end portion within the ear 0 will be turned to a position indicated in Figure 20 and this will lock this end of the bail to the ear so that outward pressure on the bail will not retract the bail end from the car.

When the bail is released from the magazine and placed in its initial position which has just been described, the remotely positioned bail end will contact the upper face of a guide rail 3% and the bent portion 5 3 of the bail will be directly opposed to gripping jaws 8E and 32'. This guide rail 35 has a step portion 88 on which the bail end portion 5 5 rests. (See Fig. 22.) These jaws which are to grip the bail are mounted on a slide 89 which in turn is mounted for reciprocation in guiding members 89 A pivot pin 98 passes through the jaw 86 which is rigidly mounted on the slide {39. The pin 98 also passes through the movable jaw 81 (see Fig. 22), thence through a roller 9] and into the slide 8%. The slide is moved forward so as to bring the roller 9I-into contact with the face IIS of the guide rail 85 by means of a spring 92. This spring at its outer end is secured to the slide as indicated at 93 and the other end of the spring is anchored on one of the guiding members 89 as indicated at 9d. Mounted on a bracket carried by the slide 89 is an air cylinder 95 carrying a piston rod 556 attached to a piston head in the cylinder. This piston rod 95 bears against the movable jaw 81 and moves the same so that its gripping face will grip the bail end against the face of the stationary jaw 86.

The guide members 39 are fixed to a carriage 9'1 which is mounted for reciprocation in guiding members 98, 99 which guiding members'are carried by a stationary portion 99 of the frame. Also mounted on the frame portion 99 is an air cylinder IE9. Mounted within the air cylinder Ice is a piston carrying a piston rod I03. There is an attachment Ilil by which fluid may be admitted to the cylinder for moving the piston to the left as viewed in Figure 1. There is also an attachment I92 at the other end of the cylinder for admitting fluid under pressure to the other side of the piston for retracting the piston rod.

The piston rod I93 slides freely in a bracket [M attached to the carriage 97. A spring I05 encircles the end of the piston projecting through the bracket I94. This spring at one end contacts the bracket and at the other end abuts against a collar I96 fixed on the end of the piston rod 193. Also fixed to the piston rod is a collar or disk I97. Extending from one guiding member 98 to the other is a bar I08. A stop screw M19 is threaded into 9. lug carried by this bar I08. This stop screw is contacted by the lower part of the collar H11 when the carriage is retracted by fluid pressure admitted to the left hand end of the air cylinder I119. The carriage is moved by the piston through the spring I05 and therefore this spring cushions this pulling action of the piston under the influence of the fluid pres sure.

The carriage 91 engages a stop bar IIil which is carried by spaced rods III mounted for sliding movement in a bar II2 mounted on the stationary frame part supporting the guide members 98, 93. There is a block II3 which limits the movement of this stop bar III). This whole unit forms a cushion for the carriage 91 when it is moved by the piston rod I93 to the extreme left hand position indicated in Figure 1.

When the bail is initially positioned the left hand end portion thereof rests on the step portion 83 and the offset portion of the bail 53 is directly opposite the gripping jaws which are open at this time. In order to seat the portion 53 of the bail between the jaws, a slide H4 is provided which reciprooates in a guiding slot H5 in the guide rail 85. This slide is connected to a piston IIS which slides in an air cylinder Iii, as shown in Figure 29. Said piston is connected to a piston head Ill and when fluid pressure is directed to the cylinder in the rear of the head the piston will be moved forward and the slide brought into contact with the bail and the bail will be pushed between the jaws as shown in Figure 22. Each jaw is provided with a notch Iifi which enables the slide H4 to push the bail well back into the jaws for a firm gripping of the same. This cylinder II! is provided with the usual spring I I'I for retracting the slide when the fluid pressure is released and the cylinder is vented to the atmosphere. The same is true of the air cylinders BI, and I39. At the same time the air cylinder 8| is provided with fluid under pressure for pushing the bail end into the right hand ear, the piston II! will be supplied with fluid which pushes the other end portion of the bail between the jaws of the gripping device. When the bail end has been positioned between the jaws then fluid pressure is directed to the cylinder 95 and the movable jaw Bl is moved in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figure 2 so as to cause the face of the movable jaw to contact the bail and force it against the stationary jaw so that the ball will be firmly gripped and held from turning.

Fluid pressure isnow directed tothe right hand end of the cylinder IM and this will cause the carriage 9'! to move to the left as viewed inFigure l and also as viewed in Figure 2. During this movement of the carriage, the roller 9i will be held in contact with the cam face IIB by the spring $52. "This cam face H8 on the guide rail 85 is so shaped that the gripped end of the bail will be gradually moved inward as it approaches the ear. Inserted at the end of the guiderail sfi is a steel wear plate I I9. The step 88 terminates at I29 and the outer face of the step merges into the outer face of the plate H9. The cam H3 terminates at I2 I and the gripping jaws will press the end of the bail against the plate H9. When theibail end reaches theend of the plate Ill) it willm-ove off from said plate andinto theopening intheear as shown inFigure23.

Inasmuch as the portion "53 of the I bail is gripped by the jawsthe bent end of the bail will beheld in a fixed position relative to the jaws and the bail-W111 be twisted so that said bent end when it reaches the opening .in the ear will be in alignment with the opening and can pass .into the ear. The fluid pressure on the cylinder $35 is now released and the spring I22 will shift the movable 'jaw of the gripping devices so as to release thebail and when itis released the portion of the ball which was twisted will cause the bail to swing to the position shown in Figure 24. The bent end 54 of the'bail is now in an angular positionin the ear and this wi1llockthebai1t0 the ear.

Afterthe jaws have released theqba'il andi'it has entered the left earthen the bail is compl-etelyat- I tach'ed to the can'and fluid pressure is admitted to the left hand end'of the cylinder W0, the. piston ro'd"Ill3' is retracted andthe jaws are .returned to their initial positionffor receiving the nextbail.

Ref-erringto Figures 16 and 117, it is noted that the slid'e"'i2 is providedwith alug I23 and when this slide is moved tonormal position by the spring 80 this lug I23 willcontact withthe bail and tilt it forwardly so as to prevent the hail from fallingbackwardly and catching onto'lthe fixedbracket I3 carrying the upper ear pocket ll As the slides arelowered' by cutting oif the fluid pressure on the cylinder ll'the can cont-acts the portion I I ofthebo'ttom member and will slide down thesainewhilein upright positionandthus be discharged from the machine. "The weightfof the partslifted are si'ifiicient to return these can supporting slides to" 'theirinitial position findicated in'fulllines 'in Figure 8 ready to receive the next'can body.

Before the'slides reach'their lowermost position, the can body "carried thereby will contact with the bottom :ofth-e can chute and the pockets will move away from the ears and the canbody will bedischarged along said inclined ramp 'I'I (see Fig. '7). 'Asthe slides'move 'totheirj full fretractedpositi'on;the valve 41 will be iopenejdland this "will admit fiuld'tothe cylinder T1. and .cause the "feed dogto'move iorwardand move another canb'o'dy to the next stationin the can chute and this, of course,-williforce' the can'lbody along the upwardly inclined guides .2,2, 22 and thence the canbody .moves by gravity downftheTinclined guides '3ilintothe' pockets. This retracting of the slides als-o raises the pusher'66 to a position for engagement of the next bail. "When the slides are again raised by fluid, pressure ,admitted -to the cylinder f ll the can is placedin bail-attaching'positionand at the same time the pusher slide 10 66 removes the bail .from'the stack and plaices'fit in initial position for attachment to the can.

In Figure 26, there is shown more or less diagrammatically the arrangement of thefluidp'ressure supplying means and their connectiontothe various cylinders for operatingfithe several units whichhave been described above. Air pressure is preferably used for operating'the several units. The pipe I24 is connected onto any suitableisupply of air under pressure. There is a valve I25 which shuts off the air when it is desired. Associated with the airsupply is a filter and a pressure regulator, all of the usual form. The pipe IN is connected tothe pipe I26, which inturn is connected to the cylinder I! through the valve 41. As this valve is opened, fluid will flow through this pipe line to the cylinder I'I andwjhen the valve is closed it vents theline leading ,from the valve to the cylinder so that the piston ofithe cylinder. is retracted by a sprin I21 which is connected to a post I28 attached tothe bracket I6 and the other end of the spring is connectedto a post I29 attached to the extension memberZ'S of the piston 25.

This three-way valve 47 is operatedby the arm 48 carried by the cylinder il whichraises and lowers the can supporting slides. When the can is lowered for discharge from the machine then this arm opens the valve and permits fluidito enter the cylinder I! and feed another. canto the bail attaching position to take the placeiof the one which is being discharged from th-eimachine. Just as soon as the can-approachesthe bail attaching position and is placed in the pockets then the slides move upwardly and at the same time the arm d8 moves away from the valve ll, and this will close off fluidsuppliedto the cylinder II; also vent the cylinderl so thatthe feed dog will be retracted ready to feed another can along the can chute.

A pipe I30 is connected to the pipe 'jIZ I'and receives fluid under pressure from said'pipe I24. This pipe I30 is connected to a pipe I3Iwl1ich1'in turn is connected to the three-way valvei'I'BZ. This pipe, after leaving the three-way valve is connected to the cylinder 4|. This valveI32Iis further identified in the drawings by 'I' -(Roman numeral). There is another pipe I33 branching oii from the pipe I30 and through the valve I34 is connected to the air cylinder 8| and also .the air cylinder Hi. When this valve I34- is moved to open position so that fluid flows therethrough, then the pistons of the cylinders 8| andfIIIl will moveforward and the piston of thecylinderJfljl will push the right hand bail end into 'its'ear and at the same time pushthe left-handend portion or the bail into the jaws '86 and 81.. "This Valve is also identified by the numeral jll,

There is still another pipe I35 leading through the three-way valve I36 which supplies fluid pressure to the cylinder for closingfthejaws when the valve is set so that fiuid flows freely therethrough. This valve I36is,furtheridentifled by the numeral III.

There is still another pipe I37 connected through the three-way valve I33 to an air-cylinder I39. This air cylinder contains a piston I40 which is connected to the movable portion of the valve MI which is so .constructedas to reverse the fluid flow coming ,from the pipe I42 which in turn is'connected' to the pipe 126. "The reversing valve is connected byapipe I 43 with the right hand end of the cylinderI Bl] as .viewed in this Figure 26 and by a pipe I44 .with the other-left hand end of the cylinder. This tour-- .Way valve, when operated, will supply fluid to one end of the cylinder Illfl while venting the other end, and then when the valve is shifted it will supply fluid to the opposite end of the cylinder and vent the first-named end. This valve I38 is further identified by the numeral IV. The threeway valve I is shifted in one direction by a solenoid I45, also identified by the Roman numeral I. Associated with the valve I34 is a solenoid I 36, likewise identified by the numeral II. Associated with the valve I36 is a solenoid I4! which is further identified by the numeral III. Associated with the valve I38 is a solenoid M'I which is identified by the numeral IV.

The solenoids are connected in multiple through switches with the electric current sup plying lines I43 and I49. Each switch is controlled by a cam. These control cams are all mounted on a shaft indicated diagrammatically at I50. The shaft is connected to a motor II. There is a foot operated switch I52 which connects the lines I49 with the line I53 leading to the motor I5I. There is another line I54 connecting the line I49 with the switch I55. There is a roller I5$ associated with this switch I55 and the roller follows along the surface of the cam I51 mounted on the shaft I50. The periphery of this cam is so shaped that the motor will rotate the shaft through one revolution and then the switch I55 will open. If the foot switch is released after the switch I55 is closed, the motor will continue to operate until the switch I523 is opened.

Associated with the solenoid I45 is a cam I58. Between the solenoid and this cam I58 is a switch member I59 which is provided with a roller I60 running on the surface of the cam I53. In the position shown in Figure 27 this switch I59 is opened. As the shaft rotates and the cam turns in the direction of the arrow this switch I59 will be closed and will be held closed for a certain period of the rotation of the shaft. This will supply current to the solenoid I45 and the energizing of the solenoid will open the valve I32 for supplying fluid to the cylinder M. When the switch is again opened by the roller passing off onto the portion of the periphery of smaller radius the current supplied to the solenoid will be cut off and the valve I32 will be closed or rather shifted to a position where the pipe line Itl will be connected to the atmosphere. There is a similar switch IBI and a control cam I62 therefor associated with the solenoid I47. There is a switch I 63 and a control cam I64 therefor which supplies current to the solenoid I Il at certain times. There is a switch I65 and a control cam I86 associated therewith for supplying current to the solenoid I46. These control cams are so shaped that the operating cylinders for the various units will be supplied with fluid so as to operate in the proper sequence for feeding the can to the bail attaching station; feeding a bail to its initial position for attachment to one of the ears of the can; forcing the bent end of the right hand end of the bail into its ear and at the same time forcin the other end portion of the bail into the gripping jaws; and then shifting said other end of the bail to a position placing the bent end thereof in alignment with the opening in the left hand ear, after which the end portion will be entered into the opening and then released so that by the untwisting of the bail the bent end will be shifted so as to lock the bail to the ear of the can.

In Figure 28 there is shown a hook-up between one of the solenoids and one of the threeway valves which is shifted thereby. In order to bring about the shifting of the valve the core I61 of the solenoid is connected to the stem I68 of the sliding valve which is indicated at I69. The spring I'm returns the valve to its initial position when the current supplied to the solenoid is cut off.

It is obvious that many changes in the details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine for attaching bails to the ears of the can, which bails have the ends thereof bent in opposite directions relative to the plane of the bail, comprising mechanism for positioning the ears of a can for receiving the bail ends, mechanism for positioning a, bail with one bent end only in alignment with one of the ears, means for inserting said bent end in said ear, mechanism for subsequently shifting the bail to position the other end of the bail in alignment with the other car, and means fo inserting the last named bail end in said ear.

2. A machine for attaching bails to the ears of the can, which bails have the ends thereof bent in opposite directions relative to the plane of the bail, comprising mechanism for positioning the ears of a can for receiving the bent bail ends, means for initially placing a bail with one end adjacent a can ear and the bent end thereof in alignment with the ear opening and the other end at a point remotely disposed from the other ear, devices for entering said positioned bail end in its ear, and means for gripping the remotely positioned bail portion and placing the bent end thereof in alignment with the opening of the other ear and inserting the bent end in the ear.

3. A machine for attaching bails to the ears of the can, which bails have the ends thereof bent in opposite directions relative to the plane of the bail, comprising means for receiving the cans one after another and feeding the same to a bail attaching station, means operating on the bail ears for positioning the same in bail receiving position at said station, mechanism for positioning a bail with one bent end only in alignment with one of the ears, means for inserting said bent end in said ear, mechanism for subsequently shifting the bail to position the other end of the bail in alignment with the other car, and means for inserting the last named bail end in said ear.

4. A machine for attaching bails to the ears of the can, which bails have the ends thereof bent in opposite directions relative to the plane of the bail, comprising mechanism for receiving cans one after another and feeding the same to a bail attaching station, means operating on the bail ears for supporting the can and positioning the same in bail receiving position at said station, means for initially placing a bail with one end adjacent a can ear and the bent end thereof in;

alignment with the ear opening and the other end at a point remotely disposed from the other ear, devices for entering said positioned bail end in its ear, and means for gripping the remotely positioned bail portion and placing the bent end thereof in alignment with the ear opening of said other ear and inserting said bent end in the ear.

5. A machine for attaching'bails to the ears of the can, which bails have the ends thereof bent in opposite directions relative to the plane of the bail, comprising a can feed chute along which can bodies may be fed in an endwise direction with the bail cars at the advancing end, slides having ear receiving pockets for supporting the can by theears, guides engaging the ears and positioning the same so as to enter said pockets, means for raising theslides to bai1 attaching position, means for feeding a bail, and mechanism for attaching one end of the bail to one of the ears and mechanism operating subsequently thereto for attaching the other end of the bail to the other ear.

6. A machine for attaching bails to the ears of the can, which bails have the ends thereof bent in opposite directions relative to the plane of the bail, comprising a can feed chute along which can bodies may be fed in an endwise direction with the bail cars at the advancing end, slides having ear receiving pockets, guides engaging the ears and positioning the same so as to enter said pockets, means for raising the slides to bail attaching position, means for initially placing a bail with one end adjacent a can ear and the bent end thereof in alignment with the ear opening and the other end at a point remotely disposed from the other ear, devices for entering said positioned bail end in its ear, and means for gripping the remotely positioned bail portion and shifting and twisting said bail so as to place the bent end thereof in alignment with the opening of the other ear and inserting said bent end in the ear and releasing the same to permit the bent end to turn to initial position relative to the bail, '7. A machine for attaching bails to the ears of the can, which bails have the ends thereof bent in opposite directions relative to the plane of the bail, comprising a can feed chute along which can bodies may be fed in an endwise direction with the bail ears at the advancing end, a gravity runway for feeding can bodies one after another into the feed chute, a reciprocating feed dog for feeding the can bodies along the chute, slides having ear receiving pockets, guides engaging the ears and positioning the same so as to enter said pockets, means for raising the slides to lift the can to bail attach ng position, means forfeeding a bail, mechanism for positioning a bail, comprising a can feed chute along which can bodies may be fed in. an endwise direction with the bail ears at the advancing end, a gravity runway for feeding the cans one after another into said chute, said gravity runway being disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the chute so that as the can body enters the chute it will be moved endwise relative to the following can in the runway, vertically reciproeating slides having ear receiving pockets intheir upper ends, guides engaging the ears and positioning the same so as to enter said pockets, means for raising the slides to lift the can to upright and bail attaching position, means for feeding a bail, and mechanism for attaching first one end of the bail to an ear and then the other end of the bail to the other ear.

9. A machine for attaching bails to the ears of the can, which bails have the ends thereof bent in opposite directions relative to the plane of the bail, comprising a can feed chute along which can bodies maybe fed in an endwise direction With the bail ears at the advancing-enda gravity runway for feeding the cans one' after another into said chute, said gravity runway being disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the chute so that as the can body enters the chute it will be moved endwise relative to the following can in the runway, vertically reciprocating slides having ear receiving-pockets in their upper ends, guides engaging the ears and positioning the same so as to enter said pockets, means for raising the slides to lift the can to upright and bail attaching position, means for initially placing a bail in one end adjacent the can end and the bent end thereof in alignment with the ear opening and the other end at a point remotely disposed from the other car, means for entering said positioned bail end in its ear and means for gripping the remotely positioned bail portion and shifting and twisting said bail so as to place the bent end thereof in alignment with the opening of the other ear and inserting said bent end in the ear and then releasing the same.

10. A machine for attaching bails to the ears of the can, which bails have the ends thereof bent in opposite directions relative to the plane of the bail, comprising mechanism for positioning the ears of a can for receiving the bent bail ends, means for initially placinga bail with one end adjacent a can ear and the bent end thereof in alignment with the ear opening and the other end at a point remotely disposed from the other ear, devices for entering said positioned bail end in its ear, gripping jaws for receiving the remotely positioned bail portion and mechanism for shifting said jaws while gripping the ball so as to place the bent end thereof in alignment with the opening of the other ear, and inserting the bent end in the ear and then releasing the same.

11. A machine for attaching bails to theears of the can, which bails have the ends thereof bent in opposite directions relative to the plane of the bail, comprising mechanism for positioning the ears of a can for receiving the bent bail ends, means for initially placing a bail with one 'end adjacent a can ear and the bent end thereof in alignment with the ear opening and the other end at a point remotely disposed from the other ear, devices for entering said positioned bail end in its ear, gripping jaws for receiving the remotely positioned bail portion, means for positively inserting the bail portion in the gripping jaws, means for closing the jaws, and means for shifting the gripping jaws so as to place the bent end of the bail in alignment with the opening of the other ear, and inserting the bent end in the ear and then releasing the same.

12. A machine for attaching bails to the ears of the can, which bails have the ends thereof bent in opposite directions relative to the plane of the bail, comprising mechanism for positioning the ears of a can for receiving the bent bail ends, means for initially placing a bailwith one end adjacent a can ear and the bent end thereof in alignment with the ear opening and the other end at a point remotely disposed from the other car, devices for entering said positioned bail end in its ear, gripping jaws for receiving the remotely positioned bail portion, a carriage on which said jaws are mounted, a guide rail extending along the path of movement of the carriage, said guide rail having a cam face, said carriage having a roller engaging cam face, a spring for moving the jaws and holding the roller against the cam face,

means for positively inserting the bail end in the jaws, means for closing the jaws and means for moving the carriage so as to place the bent end of the bail in alignment with the opening of the other ear and inserting said bent end in the ear and releasing the same to permit said bent end to turn to initial position relative to the bail.

13. A machine for attaching bails to the ears of the can which bails have the ends thereof bent in opposite directions relative to the plane of the bail comprising a pneumatic operative mechanism for feeding a can into bail ear receiving pockets, a pneumatic operative mechanism for raising the pockets to place the ears in bail receiving position and for placing a bail with one bent end in initial ear entering position, a pneumatic operative mechanism for entering said positioned end in its ear and for positioning the other end portion of the bail in gripping jaws, a pneumatic operative mechanism for closing said jaws, a pneumatic operative mechanism for shifting the gripping jaws and the bail for placing the other bent end of the bail in its ear and then releasing the jaws, and cam controlled valves for causing said pneumatic operative mechanisms to operate in the sequence stated.

14. A machine forattaching bails to the ears of the can which bails have the ends thereof bent in opposite directions relative to the plane of the bail comprising a pneumatic operative mechanism for feeding a can into bail ear receiving pockets, a pneumatic operative mechanism for raising the pockets to place the ears in bail receiving position and for placing a bail with one bent end in initial ear entering position, a pneumatic operative mechanism for entering said positioned end in its ear and for positioning the other end portion of the bail in gripping jaws, a pneumatic operative mechanism for closing said jaws, pneumatic operative mechanism for shifting the gripping jaws and the bail for placing the other bent end of the bail in its ear and then releasing the jaws, and cam controlled solenoid operated valves for causing said pneumatic mechanisms to operate in the sequence Stated.

15. In a machine for attaching bails to the ears of cans and wherein is provided a bail attaching station, means at said station for attaching the bails to the can ears, and means for presenting the cans at said station with their ears in transverse alignment and supported solely by their ears, said last named means including a pair of vertically reciprocable support members having aligned pockets therein, means to feed cans to said members with the ears thereof overlying said pockets, and means to vertically reciprocate said members between a can receiving position in which the cans are received with their ears overlying said pockets, and a can supporting position in which said members support the cans solely by their ears at the bail attaching station.

16. In a machine for attaching bails to the ears of cans and wherein is provided a bail attaching station, means at said station for attaching the bails to the can ears, means for presenting the cans at said station with the ears in transverse alignment, said last named means including a chute extending in a generally horizontal direction toward the bail attaching station, means for feeding the cans along the chute in the direction of the axis of the cans, a guide member overlying the chute and having a can ear diverting edge portion effective as cans are moved longitudinally in the chute to divert laterally any can ear engaging therewith, and side guides including upwardly and forwardly inclined guide edge portions effective to engage can ears in a manner for bringing them into transverse alignment, and receiving portions curving below and partially about cans in the chute to receive advancing can ears and present them to said inclined guide edge portions, and in which there is included a gravity runway over which cans roll one after another onto the chute, and a diverter for shifting each can endwise as it moves onto the chute to displace the ears thereof out of alignment with the ears on the cans in said runway.

17. In a machine for attaching bails to the ears of cans and wherein is provided a bail attaching station, means at said station for attaching the bails to the can ears, and means for presenting the cans at said station with their ears in transverse alignment and supported solely by their ears, said last named means including a pair of vertically reciprocable support members having aligned pockets therein, means to feed cans to said members with the ears thereof overlying said pockets, and means to vertically reciprocate said members between a can receiving position in which the cans are received with their ears overlying said pockets, and a can supporting position in which said members support the cans solely by their ears at the bail attaching station, a chute extending in a generally horizontal direction toward the bail attaching station, means for feeding the cans along the chute in the direction of the axes of the cans, guide means engageable by the can ears as the cans are fed longitudinally to place the cans with their ears in transverse alignment, a gravity runway over which cans roll one after another onto the chute, and a diverter for shifting each can endwise as it moves onto the chuteto displace theears thereof out of alignment with the ears on the cans in said runway.

JOHN HENCHERT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Gorman Dec. 30 1941 

